Just Sustainability Transitions in Tourism

Call for Papers

Special Issue: Just Sustainability Transitions in Tourism

Journal: Journal of Sustainable Tourism

Publisher: Taylor & Francis Group

Manuscript Deadline: 30 September 2026

About the Special Issue

The Journal of Sustainable Tourism invites submissions for its Special Issue titled "Just Sustainability Transitions in Tourism."

As the tourism sector confronts accelerating climate change, biodiversity loss, widening socio-economic inequalities, regional conflicts, and structural marginalisation, the need for transformative and justice-oriented sustainability transitions has become increasingly urgent. While green transitions, decarbonisation, and technological innovations continue to shape sustainability agendas, these approaches often overlook critical questions of power, equity, governance, and historical injustice.

This Special Issue adopts the broader framework of Just Sustainability Transition (JST) to examine how tourism transitions are shaped by political, economic, social, and environmental forces. Rather than viewing sustainability as merely a technical challenge, JST recognises that transition processes determine who benefits, who bears the costs, who participates in decision-making, and whose voices remain excluded.

Researchers are invited to contribute theoretical, conceptual, and empirical studies that critically explore justice-oriented transformation in tourism and hospitality. The Special Issue particularly welcomes interdisciplinary perspectives that integrate decolonial, feminist, Indigenous, ecological, intersectional, and multispecies justice approaches while addressing governance, labour, climate, and community-centred sustainability transitions.

Scope and Topics of Interest

Submissions may address, but are not limited to:

• Governance frameworks for just sustainability transitions in tourism

• Institutional innovation and policy for sustainable tourism transformation

• Power, agency, and stakeholder participation in transition processes

• Global North and Global South perspectives on tourism transitions

• Tourism workers' rights, labour precarity, and social justice

• Climate justice in tourism adaptation and mitigation

• Indigenous tourism and self-determined transition pathways

• Regenerative tourism and alternative business models

• Gender justice and intersectionality in tourism governance

• Multispecies justice and posthuman approaches to sustainable tourism

• Social movements, labour unions, and civil society in tourism transitions

• Methodologies for researching justice in sustainability transitions

• Temporality and long-term perspectives in tourism transformation

Submission Guidelines

• Authors should first submit an extended abstract (1000–1200 words, excluding references) via email to the Guest Editors.

• The proposal should clearly describe the study objectives, originality, theoretical framework, methodology, expected findings (where applicable), and contribution to the Just Sustainability Transition literature.

• Abstracts must include the paper title, author names, institutional affiliations, contact details of all authors, and a maximum of six keywords.

• Selected authors will be invited to submit full manuscripts for peer review following the journal's submission guidelines.

Special Issue Editors

Raymond Rastegar
Department of Tourism and Marketing, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia

Rami K. Isaac
Faculty of Tourism and Hospitality, Bethlehem University, Palestine & Academy for Tourism, Breda University of Applied Sciences, Netherlands

Andrew Mzembe
Academy of Hotel and Facility Management, Breda University of Applied Sciences, Netherlands & Senior Research Associate, School of Tourism and Hospitality, University of Johannesburg, South Africa

Lisa Ruhanen
Business School, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia

Posted on ServiceSetu Academics — Premier Platform for Academic Opportunities & Research Collaboration

Visit official website of the publisher